Additional Info

The Scoop

I'm a little bewildered as to why Horrible Bosses 2 was met with so much less enthusiasm than the first movie. For anyone worried that a sequel will be too much of a retread, fear not!

Our Review

The movie finds our protagonists striking out with a business venture of their own, figuring that at least if they are the bosses, they will have the good sense not to be horrible. Sadly, the invention they're depending upon to turn their lives around is the "Shower Buddy", an awkward device that distributes soap and shampoo into the water as you shower, saving up to two minutes of bathing time. All they need is an investor and they'll start their U.S. based company offering full benefits to employees. What could go wrong?

Naturally, this less than stellar invention attracts a fairly shady investor, Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz), and soon Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day) are right back where they started - under the thumb of a horrible boss who shares none of their original vision. Having also met Hanson's horrible adult son, Rex (Chris Pine), the threesome hatch a plot to kidnap the brat and hold him for ransom. In spite of the events that unfolded in the first film, these three remain quite inept when it comes to illegal activity. They call upon their old connection Dean "MF" Jones (Jamie Foxx) to help work out the finer details, like where to find some sort of drug to knock out their victim. As usual, Dean's advice falls short of an actual plan and the boys are left to work things out on their own. The only drug they can come up with is the gas used in the dentist office where Dale used to work, and so they wind up back on the doorstep of sex addict Dr. Julia Harris D.D.S. (Jennifer Aniston).

It's safe to say that calamity ensues from this point, as does hilarity. While the situations that arise are inherently funny, it's the characters that make the movie work. The dry, rapid fire banter between Bateman, Sudeikis, and Day is subtle and often laugh-out-loud funny, Jamie Foxx's sensitive thug routine never gets old, and Aniston dials up Julia's raunchy, overt sexuality even more. Christoph Waltz is deliciously creepy as Bert Hanson, and Chris Pine is spot-on as his clueless, spoiled son. Best of all, the movie doesn't make a huge spectacle of its humor, somehow making it that much funnier and easier to revisit.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The Blu-ray Combo pack edition includes an extended cut of the film, outtakes, making-of featurettes, and segments on the Shower Buddy and Sex Addicts Anonymous.